Inspecting a Structural Engineering Project

As a structural engineering project progresses, it becomes necessary to undertake inspection exercises at certain points. The objective behind the inspection exercises is to ensure that things are being done in the right manner, and that the highest standards are being adhered to.

The inspections that are undertaken in the course of a structural engineering project are often aimed at ensuring that a decent standard of workmanship is being undertaken. Often, the people who are involved in structural engineering projects are tempted to compromise on the standard of workmanship. If, for instance, they are having difficulties procuring sand for use in the project, they may decide to cut the sand ratios. Or you may have a situation where walls that are not thoroughly straight are put up in certain sections. But if the structural engineering project inspections are thorough, such compromises in workmanship standards are detected early enough. Then the sections that are affected are brought down, or reinforced – which is better than ‘completing’ the entire structural engineering project, only for the entire structure to be declared unfit for occupation.

At another level, the inspections that are undertaken in the course of a structural engineering project are aimed at ensuring that the structures being put up are safe. At its core, this is also a question of ensuring that good workmanship standards are maintained.

During the structural engineering project inspections, the structures being put up are critically examined, and comparisons between the structures on the ground and the structural engineering designs are undertaken. The idea is to ensure that the structural engineering designs are actually being adhered to. This is done in much the same way as credit card accountholders are advised to sign in and examine their credit card account statements from time to time. The objective in such examinations is to ensure that no unauthorized expenses have been charged to the credit card. It is the same with structural engineering project inspections – where the objective is to ensure that there are no deviations from the structural engineering designs that are supposed to be followed to the letter.